Trumpet archon
| size2e = Large | alignment2e = Lawful good | refs2e = | size1e = | alignment1e = | refs1e = | patron deity = | vision = Darkvision, low-light vision | activecycle = Any | diet = Mead | lifespan = | location = Mount Celestia, House of the Triad | language = Celestial, Draconic, Infernal | subraces = | climate = | terrain = | wingspan = | skincolor = Green | haircolor = | hairstyles = | feathers = | eyecolor = | build = | distinctions = Wings | form1 = Male | appearance1 = | form2 = Female | appearance2 = | based = | first = Planes of Law }} Trumpet archons were the celestial heralds and messengers of the gods of the Upper Planes, the archons of song and of resurrection. These archons were named for the shining, silver trumpets each bore. Trumpet archons could be called on for aid by lawful and good clerics and were thus—along with lantern and hound archons—one of the most commonly encountered archons on the Material Plane. Description By most descriptions, trumpet archons looked something like supernaturally beautiful and radiant avariel—winged elves. The personal herald of the goddess Yondalla, on the other hand, was said to resemble a halfling. At least some trumpet archons had green skin, which made them similar in appearance to planetars.2 -edition art and descriptions for trumpet archons did not show or mention green skin, nor did the 3 -edition ''Monster Manual'' mention green skin, only describing trumpets as "beautiful, winged elves". The feature of green skin seems to have been a result of artist Wayne Reynolds redrawing an image made by Sam Wood for celestials for the 3e Monster Manual, which originally included a lantern archon, a hound archon, and a planetar. The redrawn image, which was included in the reorganized ''Monster Manual v.3.5'', replaced the planetar with a very similar-looking trumpet archon, with the same lack of hair and even similar clothing. Author Thomas M. Reid seems to have made reference to this issue in describing his character Oshiga, a trumpet archon, in the novel The Crystal Mountain. Another character, Eirwyn, at first confuses him for a planetar because of his green skin. Trumpets stood taller than most humans at about seven feet (210 centimeters) tall, but shorter than most warden or sword archons. Those that appeared feminine in gender were slightly shorter and lighter than those that appeared masculine. Equipment Trumpet archons were often observed wearing metal collars about their necks and breastplates over their chests. As with other archons, these ornaments were not actual metal; they were mystical representations of the archon's rank within the hierarchy of Celestia and could not be removed. Each trumpet archon carried a gleaming silver trumpet about six feet (two meters) long. This trumpet could transform into a silver, magical greatsword at the whim of its bearer. These were granted as gifts from the powers, and each archon was only granted one such trumpet during its time as a trumpet archon. The trumpets morphed into useless chunks of lead if stolen. When sounded, the trumpets produced music of piercing, beautiful clarity. If the archon desired, the sound could be enchanted to install paralyzing awe in any hearers. Abilities Their wings allowed trumpet archons to fly, though, like all archons, they could also teleport anywhere that they desired without a chance of failure. Like all archons, trumpet archons could speak and understand any language they desired and even send a message in any language over short distances. Trumpet archons could detect the presence of evil and also protect themselves from it. They could create a source of continual flame whenever they desired. Trumpet archons were immune to paralyzation and electricity. They were resistant to magic and could not be affected by mundane weapons or even low-powered magical ones. They could see in darkness and dim light. Trumpets were even more intelligent than sword archons. Combat Trumpet archons were skilled combatants, though—like all archons—they hated having to fight. When forced, they preferred to rely on their magic first. Trumpet archons cast powerful divine magic spells and could access two of the domains of their deity, just as clerics could. Commonly, these domains included air, destruction, good, law, and war. If a battle was going to be a long one, they would blow their powerful trumpets first to paralyze their foes and then attack with their full wrath. When engaged in battle, they produced a menacing aura of righteousness that negatively affected their foes' ability to fight back. Trumpet archons could fight with other weapons than their trumpet-swords, but they rarely ever did. Trumpets never bore shields or wore any armor beyond their mystical breastplates. Society Trumpet archons served as the messengers of the higher powers of good and the heralds of the heavenly armies. When the gods of the heavenly realms required mortals to know their will, they sent forth a trumpet archon to deliver the message. Trumpets were often sent by the gods Bahamut, Moradin, and others to servants on the Material Plane requiring aid. Whenever they arrived at a location or returned home, they blew their silver trumpets. They heralded the appearances of good deities or announced significant events. During wartime, they led armies of celestial soldiers to battle. However, the most important duty of the trumpet archons was to escort the souls of mortals who were raised or resurrected back to the Material Plane—that is, the souls of what were now lantern archons. For this reason, trumpets, alone among the archons, were permitted to leave Mount Celestia without permission to perform this important task. The lesser archons, the lanterns, hounds, wardens, and swords, held great respect for the trumpets for this. When sent on such missions, trumpets were often escorted by movanic devas for extra protection. Whenever a trumpet archon leaves Mount Celestia, it is forbidden to involve itself in the affairs of mortals beyond inspiring goodness—and doing even that without resorting to magical persuasion. Even healing someone might be considered "inappropriate intervention," and trumpets who intervened could be punished for their actions in a number of ways. It was difficult for trumpets not to intervene, as they cared about the weak and innocent and wanted to help them. They would offer wise advise and encouragement in place of direct assistance so as to not violate their orders. Another task sometimes assigned to trumpet archons was the rescue of a captured lawful good mortal by a powerful fiend. Still another task would be to hunt down fallen archons, either to subdue them or to attempt to lead them down the path of redemption. The patron of the trumpet archons was Barachiel, the Messenger. This great paragon archon was also ruler of Lunia, the first of the Seven Heavens, and his fortress, the Citadel of Stars, had a constant flow of trumpet archons coming and going on their missions. Under Barachiel, the trumpets were led by one of their own—a rarity among the archons. A platinum-wearing trumpet archon named Israfel, who was lord of the heralds, assigned tasks to his fellows. Promotion Trumpet archons were specially chosen and created for their tasks, by the promotion of willing sword archons who had obtained platinum accoutrements. Such an offer of promotion generally only came once, and it was exceptionally rare for a sword to pass up the opportunity. However, the risk was great, as trumpet archons who died on a journey to the Prime risked oblivion. As the trumpet archon progressed along a path of goodness, the metal of its collar and breastplate appeared to change from lead to tin to brass to bronze to silver to gold and at last to platinum. When a sword archon wearing platinum fittings was promoted, it was transformed into a throne archon wearing lead. Alternatively, because of the extreme risks taken on by trumpet archons, a good number of trumpets were instead promoted to aasimon—either agathinon or light aasimon—after only a few such dangerous missions. Ecology Trumpet archons had a strange diet in that the only thing that they consumed was mead—and mead particularly made from the honey of the flowering plants of Mount Celestia. Notable Trumpet Archons * Alusiel, a fallen trumpet archon who ruled the city of Mal Arundak on Layer 403 of the Abyss. * Oshiga, a messenger of the celestial paragon Erathaol. Appendix Appearances * The Crystal Mountain * The Empyrean Odyssey Gallery Archons2eB.png|From left to right, a sword archon, a warden archon, a trumpet archon, and a hound archon, with a lantern archon hovering overhead. HLTarchons.jpg|From left to right, a lantern archon, a hound archon, and a trumpet archon. Notes Further Reading * * References Connections Category:Creatures found in Mount Celestia Category:Creatures found in the House of the Triad